Someone gave me the idea to call Umbridge 'Dumbridge' and I can't for the life of me remember who is was, so thanks and credit to you whoever you are! Thanks for all your comments!

Valkyrie sighed as she walked through the corridors. Lessons had finished for the day (all except for astronomy which was usually around midnight – Valkyrie didn't know how the students did it, getting up to go to lessons at midnight. If she had to choose between getting up at midnight to learn stuff or facing a criminal, she'd rather face the criminal), so Valkyrie was wandering the corridors in search of the new wall decorations Skulduggery had told her about. 'She's put them on the wall outside her classroom, I can tell the other Professor's aren't happy about it, and to be honest neither am I' that's what he had said about the pink blob's new set of certified rules she had apparently hung outside her classroom door. Valkyrie was intrigued. Apparently there was hardly any wall space left – she had to see it for herself, no matter how depressing or pathetic it may be.

As she rounded the corner, she saw that Skulduggery, had not been exaggerating. The wall was filled with prim straight edged photograph frames, each holding a plain certificate decreeing a different rule the students now had to obey. Valkyrie would have felt sorry for the caretaker having to put them all up there if she hadn't known he did it voluntarily – seems he had a sweet spot for the pink blob. Valkyrie sniggered at this thought and turned away. She didn't have a lot to do, not really. There was preparing for the next day's lessons, but they never really did that anyway, and the conversations between herself and Skulduggery had become rather similar each time. That was the problem with working in a school, there was never anything exciting or new, or even interesting going on. It was just the students, the lessons, the work. Valkyrie was reminded again just how much she loved being a detective, solving crime, mysteries around every corner, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she saved the world alongside the great, famous Skeleton Detective. All the friends she had made, all the enemies she had fought, it all seemed a million miles away now. She pined to get back to it. It was her job. Her home. Her life. She couldn't imagine not living with it – growing up, going to University, getting married, having children. She wasn't sure if she had ever been meant for that life. Sooner or later, she'd have to tell her parents she wasn't going to University, she wasn't focusing on getting a husband (although she wouldn't have overly minded a boyfriend) or giving her parents grandchildren. She'd have to tell them she had a secure job. She just wondered if she'd tell them what it was.

Valkyrie turned and walked away back in the direction she'd come, deciding she'd take a stroll around the castle, stretch her legs, practise her Necromancy a little bit. She slipped the ring out of her pocket and put it onto her finger, feeling the chilling ice cold send shivers down her spine as the ring drew the shadows to her. Of all the things Solomon Wreath had said and done, he had been right about one thing: Valkyrie had a knack for Necromancy.

She shadow walked for a few meters, trying to strain herself to see if she could go further. She did. Although she felt herself delve deeper into the shadows, she found herself moving faster, up one floor, up to the next, and the next, and the next before she had to stop, the feeling of claustrophobia setting in on her shoulders. She flexed her knuckles and took a deep inhale, tying to push the feeling away as she walked normally down the corridor before returning to shadow walking. From the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom n the third floor (classroom 3C) Valkyrie had shadow walked to the seventh floor. She had heard the views from the seventh floor were second only to the ones from the towers. Even though it was November, Valkyrie hadn't managed to get up there to have a look.

She shadow walked along the wall, trying to lower her pace to that of a quick stroll, when the wall vanished beneath her. Valkyrie tumbled to the floor with a grunt before standing quickly, cursing and brushing herself off. Then she looked up. The room was huge, lines with dark tiles and a source of light at the opposite end which was blocked out by the many people who were stood there, staring at her. She looked back, slightly confusedly.

"Get her" Someone yelled.

"You'd be stupid to even try." Someone else muttered before pushing their way forwards. It was Harry.

"How did you get in?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Valkyrie noticed his wand was in his hand.

"Um, actually I'm not entirely sure" she turned her head slightly. There was no door behind her, just wall. "I was walking along, practising my magic and I fell through the wall. No sure how that happened either. What are you doing here? I though the pink blob banned all after school activities?"

"Pink blob?"

"Dumbridge – I mean Umbridge." Valkyrie felt the shadows curl at her feet as she tried to correct herself.

"We're a secret Group – the D.A. We're training in defence against the dark arts because she won't teach us properly. And we have our exams this year, not to mention Voldemort's back – we need to protect ourselves." Harry said defiantly. Valkyrie's eyes scanned the room filled with students, all silent, all watching. Valkyrie shrugged.

"Ok, whatever."

"This is really impor- wait what?"

"I said 'whatever', as long as you're not killing or maiming each other, I don't really care." Valkyrie shrugged "Your school, do what you like. Besides, I hate Umbridge too. It's funny to think you're acting right under her nose." Valkyrie sniggered. Hermione pushed forwards.

"So, you're not going to tell on us?" She said, eyes wide.

"Don't see any reason why I should. You're all responsible" her eyes drifted to the Weasley twins "ish…" She saw the twins grin "'Get her', really? Who the heck said that anyway? You know what, doesn't matter. I'm gonna go and let you get on with whatever spells you're doing. Where's the door?" Valkyrie turned, looking. At the moment of her thinking of a door, one seemed to appear, growing out of the wall. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well that's convenient." She muttered "Later guys." She waved slightly and shadow walked out through the door, not needing to open it. She wasn't sure if she could have gone out the same way she got in – a door was much more suitable. She double-checked to make sure it was closed behind her, but by the time she had, it had disappeared again. Valkyrie stood in the corridor and sighed before running her fingers through her hair and shadow walking in the direction of her bedroom.

Harry wasn't sure if he believed what had just happened. A teacher had found them, and not reported them. Granted that teacher was a teenager and more of a detective that a professor, but even so. The door disappeared quickly enough. How she'd gone through it, Harry didn't quite know. One minute she was there, the next a black shadow was moving across the door and she was gone.

"Good on ya, Val." George grinned. Harry choked on his laugh slightly as Hermione stood beside him.

"How did she do that?" Hermione whispered.

"Do what?"

"Get through the wall. And get out of the door without opening it."

"She's a sorceress, I bet they can do all kinds of weird things." Ron muttered next to her.

"Did you see the shadows?" Hermione whispered. She seemed almost, scared.

"The shadows?"

"They weren't on the wall" Hermione continued "it's almost like, they responded to her."

"Yeah so?"

"Harry, shadow magic is death magic."